Important Stability Exercises for Dancers
Airplane
Begin with your feet in parallel. Keep your core tight, tailbone tucked under, and your spine lifted through the top of your head. Hinge forward at your hips and lift your left leg behind you with your toes pointed toward the ground. Lean forward until your hips are at 90 degrees. At the same time, lift your arms out to the side to help with your balance. Squeeze your right buttocks and bend your stance knee to lower toward the floor. Keeping your back straight, reach your hands down toward the floor. If you are not able to touch the floor, that is okay, this will improve as you get stronger and as your balance improves. Then return to the starting position by straightening your knee and stand with control. Repeat on the other side.
Once you can perform this exercise with proper form and maintain your balance for multiple repetitions, you can progress to performing the exercise on a foam pad or a bosu ball. These progressions will further challenge your hip, knee and ankle stability as you are standing on a more unstable surface than the floor. This will help stabilize the lower body when you are landing jumps, leaps, and help you remain balanced en pointe and en releve.
Fondu on Bosu
Begin in plié coupé. The fondu out in front then return to plié coupé. Repeat to the side and to the back. Stand with your feet in first position on the flat side of the Bosu ball. Fondu (bend your stance knee) with your opposite foot pointing to the front, side, and behind.
If you have difficulty with balance or if you have hip, knee, ankle, or foot pain, call 260-739-0300 to schedule an appointment with one of ProTailored’s highly trained Physical Therapists!